Jericho was the town Jesus was
leaving on His way to Jerusalem and the Cross when a blind man by the name of
Bartimaeus began shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He wanted
Jesus to heal his blindness. Jesus said to him, "Go, your faith has healed you"
and immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Kota Jericho

Town in the West Bank, located in the Jordan Valley, north of the Dead Sea and
west of the Jordan River. Jericho is the world's oldest known settlement and is
famous in biblical history. From 1967 to 1994 Jericho was occupied and
administered by Israel. In 1994 it became the first town in the West Bank to
come under Palestinian administration.

Sebetulnya kota tua Jericho hanya tinggal puing-puing saja

Located
about 244 m (about 800 ft) below sea level, Jericho is one of the lowest cities
in the world. Its climate is hot and dry in summer and mild in winter,
supporting the growth of such crops as dates, bananas, and citrus fruits. Most
of Jericho's agricultural land is irrigated by small private wells that provide
water throughout the year; the city draws its water from an irrigation system
originating at the Ayn as Sultan Spring, which has supplied Jericho with water
since ancient times. In addition to agricultural activities, Jericho has a
long-standing tourist industry. Road traffic from Jerusalem and other cities in
northern Israel converges in Jericho, and roads continue south to the Dead Sea
and the Negev. Traffic from the Allenby Bridge crossing on the Jordanian border
passes through Jericho as well.

Kota Jericho yang baru

Points of
interest in Jericho include a 6th-century synagogue with an intact mosaic;
Hisham's palace, which was built in the 700s as a winter retreat for the Umayyad
Caliph Hisham and is a surviving example of early Islamic architecture (see
Caliphate); and the Byzantine structure of Saint George's monastery. Located
nearby are the Mount of Temptation (Qaranşal, Dayr al), which, according to New
Testament tradition, is the site where the devil tempted Jesus Christ, and the
caves of Qumrân, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947

Pasar di dalam kota Jericho

Jericho is
the site of the oldest settlement yet to be discovered, with significant
archaeological remains dating back as far as 8000BC. Located about 2 km (about 1
mi) from today's city center, the settlement included a walled community and a
high tower. Additional findings from the period indicate that there was
irrigated agriculture, revealing the prehistoric shift from nomadic to settled
forms of life. Jericho is well-known in biblical history as the site of a siege
by Joshua and the Israelites. The city functioned as an administrative center
for the Persians in the 6th century BC and became a royal resort in the time of
Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. Around 30BC Jericho was awarded to
Herod the Great by the Roman emperor Augustus. Herod laid out new aqueducts and
built a theater and winter palace there.

Jerusalem Timur, terlihat dari Jericho

Between
the 4th and 7th centuries AD Jericho attracted many pilgrims and the population
grew considerably. The city was taken over by Arabs in the 7th century, and
during the 12th and 13th centuries Crusaders controlled Jericho and greatly
expanded the cultivation of sugarcane in the region (see Crusades). After
the defeat of the Crusaders by the Muslim leader Saladin, Jericho's vitality
declined. In 1840 the Egyptian general Ibrahim Pasha razed the city when he
withdrew his army to Egypt.

After his baptism by John,
Jesus "was led by the Spirit in the desert." The "desert" mentioned by Luke
would seem to be the desolate landscape between Jericho and Jerusalem, and there
Satan looked for opportunities to tempt him.
Jesus left the warm Jordan valley, well below sea level, and ascended the
desolate highlands to the west. The brown rolling hills, only sparsely dotted
with green shrubs, were barren compared to the cultivated farmland around
Nazareth. Broom trees, erect and scraggly, grew only to about eight feet,
providing scant shade. Centuries earlier, the prophet Elijah, on the run from
the vengeance of Jezebel, sat down under a sparse broom tree and prayed that he
might die: "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better
than my ancestors" (1 Kings 19:4).
With pilgrim's walking staff in hand, Jesus trudged through rain and occasional
snow, blustery winds and damp cold, relieved only by the pale sun. The limestone
made for rough walking, even for one accustomed to traveling on foot. Some of
the paths had been washed away by water from sudden rain squalls erupting
through the ravines (wadis). He had heard about the bands of roving thugs that
preyed on lone, unprotected travelers. Perhaps speaking from experience he would
later tell a parable of a man robbed and beaten by such predators on the road
from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30-37). This area was also famous for its
lions.

Judean desert from the road
between Jericho and Jerusalem

After wandering through the area for "forty days and forty nights" (a number
recalling the experiences of Moses and Elijah, also the 40 years of Israel's
testing in the desert), huddling in caves at night and fragile from a lack of
sleep, Jesus was extremely hungry and soon noticed the countless flat, rounded
stones littering the desert floor. One stone in particular resembled the loaves
of bread baked by his mother in his Nazareth home. Satan noticed it too and said
to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Satan's
request for a miracle would seem a perfect way for Jesus to show that he was
indeed the Son of God, as revealed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism. But Jesus
refused. Instead, he used a scriptural reference to state that he could not be
reduced to a physical need: "It is written (in Deuteronomy 8:3): 'Man does not
live on bread alone.'"

Mount of Temptation

Satan persisted; he took Jesus to a "high place and showed him in an instant all
the kingdoms of the world." He further stated that he would give Jesus "all
their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus responded
with: "It is written (in Deuteronomy 6:13): 'Worship the Lord your God and serve
him only.'"
Christian tradition has identified a prominent mountain west of the tell of
ancient Jericho as the site of this temptation. Nearby was the wealthy city of
New Testament Jericho, now represented by ruins called Tulul Abu al-Alayiq, some
2 miles southwest. The houses of New Testament Jericho could be compared to the
best of Pompeii and Satan may well have pointed to them as representing all the
wealthy cities of the world.

Remains at Tulul Abu al-Alayiq, the site of wealthy New Testament Jericho at the
time of Jesus. Left center is the foundations of Herod the Great's third palace.
In the distance is modern Jericho.

Agricultural field

Lastly, Satan led Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of
the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from
here. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you
carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.'"

Although Satan correctly quoted scripture (Psalm 91:11-12), he misused the
passage: "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your
ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your
foot against a stone."). Jesus again answered Satan with a scripture passage,
citing Deuteronomy 6:16: "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"